The present invention relates primarily to billiard type games. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for playing a billiard type game that adapts rules and indicia from the game of chess to create a new and enjoyable billiard type game.
For many years the game of billiards has been a popular game played in the home, at billiard clubs, pool halls, bars, and at recreational facilities. Further, the popularity of billiards is demonstrated by the amount of sales of billiard related items, and also the many billiard tournaments, some of which are even televised. As such, various types of billiard games have been introduced into the marketplace and the prior art provides many examples of these various billiard games including various table shapes, sizes, various numbers of balls, including many colors and designs, and various rules for playing a variety of games. The prior art also shows examples of billiards combined with other games such as football, golf, and word spelling games.
Chess is a game with an even longer history of popularity. Chess has been played for over a thousand years and remains popular in the home, at school, and is the subject of chess clubs, tournaments, books and news articles. To date, no one has found a way to combine these two popular games in such a way as to be enjoyable and entertaining. Combining chess and billiards would have the advantage of combining the physically dexterous aspects of billiards with the intellectual and strategic aspects of chess.
With the increased popularity of billiard games, and leisure activities in general, many people are willing to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on billiard tables and accessories. The accessories may include multiple cue sticks and various sets of balls and racks for playing various games. Additionally, billiard tables also are large and consume substantial floor space. Consequently, the substantial cost of a billiard table and the large amount of space they consume makes it desirable to get as much use from a billiard table as possible. It is therefore advantageous to purchase accessories that permit a billiard table to be used for multiple activities, and used more often, to thereby increase the enjoyment of such a large piece of equipment. Unfortunately, most billiard games are very similar to one another and consequently players may become bored with playing the same or similar games repeatedly. Similar problems apply to the electronics industry's game playing systems. In the electronics industry, many billiard games are now adapted to being played on electronic gaming systems, personal computers, and the like. The rules are substantially the same as the physical games, but the playing surface, balls, and cue sticks are virtual and are represented on an electronic display screen. It is therefore desirable to have new and entertaining games implemented on these electronic gaming platforms.
Accordingly, a need exists for new games and related accessories for billiard tables that provide increased usage, more enjoyment, and more value for the billiard table owner. Similarly there is a need for new billiard games to be adapted to electronic gaming systems. Therefore, a game and related accessories for billiard tables are needed that provide the aforementioned advantages.